The Coast Guard Auxiliary created by an Act of Congress in 1939, is the uniformed civilian volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard in nearly all its missions.  Made up of 30,000 men and women who live and work in the communities they serve and understand the unique needs of the public, they donate their time and expertise to support the Coast Guard and improve boating safety.

Vessel safety checks, harbor patrols, safe boating courses, search and rescue and marine environmental protection are just a few of the services provided by the Auxiliary.

District Five Northern Region (D5NR) is a sub-unit of the Coast Guard District Five with headquarters in Portsmouth, VA.  The D5NR Area of Responsibility (AOR) is the same geographic region as U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay.  The D5NR region is comprised of 2600 Auxiliarists and encompasses all of the state of Delaware, most of New Jersey with the exception of much of the NJ side of the greater New York City Metropolitan area, and most of Pennsylvania from Philadelphia to the Western boundary near Indiana and Jefferson Counties.

In D5NR, approximately 2,600 Auxiliarists, 200 small boats, 15 aircraft and 200 radio facilities support 29 different Coast Guard commands including CG Sector Delaware Bay, Air Station Atlantic City, Small Boat Stations, Cutters, Aids to Navigation Teams, Recruiting Offices, the CG Atlantic Strike Team, and CG Recruit Training Center Cape May through 300,000 hours of volunteer efforts each year.  On waterways and in the air, the Auxiliary provides over 15,000 hours of direct operational support to the Coast Guard.  They patrol New Jersey's coastline, rivers and lakes, Delaware Bay, Delaware River, and Pennsylvania’s lakes and rivers including the Susquehanna River and major tributaries including the Schuylkill River and the C&D Canal.  Additionally, Auxiliarists in D5NR routinely lead the nation for hours devoted to public education in areas that involve recreational boating safety, seamanship and outreach.

In order to provide boating safety and search and rescue response in areas without a significant Coast Guard presence, the Auxiliary operates four Search and Rescue Detachments (SARDETs) in D5NR which are manned throughout the weekends during summer months.  SARDETS are located at Bordentown, NJ, Wilmington, DE and Bowers Beach, DE, and Long Level, PA.

Through partnership and support of the Coast Guard, close cooperation and Memorandums of Agreements with the three States for internal waters, and cooperation with local authorities and other volunteer organizations, Auxiliarists in D5NR stand ready to assist the boating and maritime community.